ClueBy
TodayArchiveWord list

Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
YesNo
↻ New worksheet

Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: snap · staff · spring · sharp · current · content · tube · mine

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. tube — a container
  3. spring — of water
  4. staff — employees
  5. staff — employees
  6. content — happy
  7. tube — the underground
  8. content — the amount
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. snap — to click
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. spring — the season
  16. current — electric
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. sharp — clever
  19. current — happening now
  20. spring — a coil
  21. mine — for digging
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. current — of water
  24. staff — a stick

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com